Nikola Dimitrov

Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov told media on Tuesday that the unnamed Russian diplomat was expelled in solidarity with Britain over the Sergei Skripal poisoning, but also for domestic security reasons.

Dimitrov said the decision "was made after careful deliberation and analysis" and was "based on two elements".

Greece and Macedonia are optimistic about finding a solution to the dispute over Macedonia's name that has marred bilateral relations and hampered Macedonia's EU and NATO accession, Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias and his Macedonian counterpart, Nikola Dimitrov, said in Skopje.

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias arrived in Skopje on Thursday evening for a landmark visit as talks between the two sides appear to be edging toward a resolution on the longstanding "Macedonia" name dispute, Ekathimerini writes.

"We believe in an honorable compromise and… this means that you can't have everything you want," Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said on Friday following talks in Skopje with his counterpart, Nikola Dimitrov, on ongoing negotiations over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias was holding talks with his counterpart in Skopje, Nikola Dimitrov, in a meeting on Friday that was scheduled to last one hour but is expected to take longer as the two officials discuss a set of proposals for settling an ongoing dispute over the name of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias arrived in Skopje on Thursday evening for a landmark visit as talks between the two sides appear to be edging toward a resolution on the longstanding "Macedonia" name dispute. 

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias arrived in Skopje on Thursday evening for a landmark visit, the first by a Greek official in 12 years, as talks between the two sides appear to be edging towards a resolution on the longstanding "Macedonia" name dispute.

Key talks will begin today in the Macedonian capital Skopje between Macedonia's and Greece's foreign ministers, Nikola Dimitrov and Nikos Kotzias, reports BGNES.

Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is due to conduct a landmark visit to Skopje Thursday, amid signs that Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia are edging closer to a solution on the latter's official name, though differences remain within the coalition in Athens over the issue.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias is heading to Skopje on Thursday with a document containing a comprehensive proposal from Athens to settle a decades old name dispute with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM).